Final Thriller Opening

Evaluation

Evaluation

• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I created my final piece of work in such a way that I followed as many typical thriller conventions as I could. Ashley and I watched a variety of thriller openings during the research part of our work, and thus we had quite a lot of ideas on what conventions we wanted to use in our piece. Ashley watched the opening to No Country for Old Men (2007, Coen Brothers) and thought that we should create our work using a lot of the techniques used in it. No Country for Old Men has a very slow opening, with very still long takes, building up tension and making the audience ask questions about what is the significance of the locations being shown. We adopted this technique, and decided to make the pacing of our piece quite slow, so that the audience were pushed into thinking about what they could see. However, whereas the No Country for Old Men opening remains rather slow throughout the entirety of it, we decided that we wanted our pace to pick up around half way in to create a sense of danger and to “thrill” the audience. As with this opening, we also decided to use a limited number of characters. We filmed the antagonist for the most part, as it would make the audience wonder who he is and what he has done. Conventional thrillers also use ambient music in the background to add to the sense of suspense that is added by the slow paced shots. Ashley and I really liked this convention and so we added it to our work. The sounds now contrast as we have the birds and other natural sounds (diegetic) of the location playing alongside the sinister and thought inducing sound of the music and siren sound effects (non-diegetic). To finally create the look of a thriller, we made sure to use typical shot types and takes. From watching the opening to The Dark Knight (2008, Christopher Nolan), we noticed that a lot of long takes and long shots were used to show the surrounding locations and the action that took place inside the bank. These types of shots fit in well with what we wanted to do, as the long takes would reduce the pace of the piece, while the long shots would add to the suspense as it would seem as though there is a character following the person in the shot. Finally, we noticed that any editing was mostly in the way of cuts and sounds and so we tried to reduce the variety of effects we added in the editing process. This meant that we mostly used straight cuts to change shots, except for the fades to show a time lapse.

• How does your media product represent particular social groups?

To represent social groups in our work, we decided to create specific characters. The antagonist (the main character throughout the opening) was supposed to be a gothic, almost emo male in his early twenties. This was to show the antagonist as a depressed, angry character, suggesting that he is unhappy with his life. We wanted to represent the other teenagers by having the protagonist (walks past the antagonist on the street) dressed in brighter coloured clothes, contrasting with the greys and blacks and reds of the antagonist. We decided that the antagonist would have his hood up on his jacket, almost concealing his face and making him look mysterious, while the protagonist would be wearing a brightly coloured hat, making him look innocent and to show that he is the good guy. We specifically chose the colours that each character would wear to give them hidden meanings to the audience. The protagonist was supposed to contrast the antagonist so that it was clear who each character was. The antagonist wore dark clothes made up of greys and blacks, creating a mysterious atmosphere when he is on screen, whereas the protagonist is wearing lighter colours with bright white shoes and a red and white hat.

Above is the social group we based out antagonist on. I believe that we did a good job at re creating the image with out character.

• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

A possible distribution company that could put our work to the cinemas is Lionsgate (http://www.lionsgatefilms.co.uk). This is because they have put out the Saw films, and so they are clearly interested in low budget thrillers such as the Saw series. This would be great as our thriller would also be low budget and would rely on suspense, location and characters to create the thrills. Another way for us to distribute our film would be through the internet. This could come from actual online showings via websites like YouTube and MySpace or just getting the film recognised and building hype. There are two notable low budget films which built a lot of hype up using the internet and made a lot of money because of it, The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Paranormal Activity (2007, Oren Peli). This would suit my thriller as it would keep distribution costs down, which would save a lot of money overall, as well as giving the potential to make even more as it would be more widely available than if it were to be in cinemas as anyone could watch it at anytime.

Above is the Saw 3 poster. As can be seen, it atracts attention useing a simple picture and would be the kind of marketing the we are looking for.

• Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for our work would be anyone above the age of 16 as we would want the video to be viewable by as large an audience as possible. This is because of the obvious handicap our film would have compared to a big budget movie released at the same time. The audience could be made up of men or women, as it doesn’t follow the thriller convention of women being the main victims. Our thriller wouldn’t tackle any race issues, and would contain a mixed race cast to make the film appeal to yet more variety in people. We would also want our audience to be able to relate to the film, meaning our main audience would understand the choices that meant each character was who they were.

• How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract our audiences we decided that the location needed to be able to be related to. Therefore, we chose a park as the main location for the piece, with a house being the second location that would be easy to relate to. We wanted to make the audience to think deeper into the story of the piece. No doubt that most people have seen someone looking out of place walking through a park, as does our antagonist. This helps the audience relate to what they are seeing as they can then imagine what they see to be realistic and entirely possible. Everyone is able to relate to going home, and most people should be able to understand the awkwardness of going home, knowing that something bad will or has happened, as is the case with the antagonist. We also made the characters as realistic as possible, with suitable clothing choices that are often seen in today’s society as well. This allows for the audience to relate even better as they will have seen similar people themselves, making the film seem as though it could happen to ordinary people.

This is the sort of area the the film would be set. It is an ordinary location with extra ordinary happenings. This is what would atract the audience becuase they would wonder what would be happening.

• What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

From creating my piece, I have learnt a lot about the technologies used. I didn’t realise how hard it was to keep shots steady, especially when panning, so that they are smooth all the way through the pan. It took Ashley and I a couple of practices before we managed to pan a shot fully without much stuttering. I also learnt a lot about pacing, as at first, our work was extremely slow, much slower than we intended. This was due to the length of each take, and we cut them down to make the work easier to watch, as viewers originally lost interest when the shots were lengthy. I also learnt a lot about the software I used to edit the work. Adobe Premier Pro originally seemed extremely complicated to use, and I needed to look for help on how to perform certain tasks, such as adding titles to the work and cutting the clips down so that only what we wanted was used. After a couple of times using the program, I was able to do everything that we required. However, I also learnt that some technology can cause more harm than good. This is because the first video camera we were going to use to film with was broken and so we wasted a lot of time trying fix it. This taught us to have a back up camera or other plan should we encounter problems. Despite this set back I believe that we still managed to work extremely well as we managed to film everything needed, within the time we had allowed our selves. Overall, I learnt a huge amount about the technologies as originally I had very little idea on how to use what I needed, but as we progressed through the weeks I learnt more and more until I was proficient with each piece of equipment and software that was used.

• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

From doing the preliminary task, I think that it helped greatly in how well I performed in the final piece. The preliminary task allowed me to get used to the cameras and some of Adobe Premier Pro, which in the final piece I had less to learn about and therefore gave us as a group much more time to film and create our work. I also learnt a lot about filming processes, and just how much work needs to be put in to create a full length film. Along the course I also learnt a lot about thrillers, including conventions of them, which I then followed and used in my own work to make it as authentic as possible. Over the full period of the course I learnt a huge amount in all. I learnt a lot about Adobe Premier Pro as I had previously never used it and now I know quite a lot about how to perform different actions.

Thriller Opening 1st Draft

This is our first finished version of our work.
We think that it is good, but the sound still needs some work, as do the titles as we would like them to be animated with names of the actor on them as the first few shots play.

- Lesson 5 02/03/10 -

- Lesson 5 02/03/10 -
In this lesson Ash and I spent our time capturing the footage from our tape and onto the computer. Once this was done we put the shots in order they would appear in the final piece and started to edit them. Unfortunately we ran out of time and so we will edit again next lesson.

Filming

Today, Ash and I went out to our locations and filmed our shots. We started by filming the insert shot of the abandoned door, and then worked our way through each shot we needed to film in chronological order. A couple of problems we faced included members of the public who went passed us whilst we filmed, and the wind blowing the camera when we filmed, which resulted in the camera suddenly moving part way through a shot. To counter any problems like this, we made sure we filmed each shot at least twice, and occasionally we did more, as with the running shot, that which we filmed 5 times so that we could see what camera angle and zoom looked best. Unfortunately, the second take of our final shot, the antagonist walking up to the door, resulted in the cameras battery running out, despite being charged before we started filming.

Next we shall capture our shots off the tape and will start to edit them together so that we can see what needs re-shooting and what is ok.

- Lesson 4 25/02/10 -

- Lesson 4 25/02/10 -
In this lesson Ash and I designed our costumes for our 2 characters. We drew pictures of what the characters would look like and coloured them acordingly. We shall upload pictures of the work at a later date.

We also decided on when we are going to film. We shall film on Sunday at 2pm as the weather is supposed to be good and we will have plenty of time to shoot what we need.

Risk Assesment

We created a risk assessment to work out what dangers we could encounter when filming. We wrote it on paper but below is what it said. We thought about what potential risks there were, and what was at risk. We then worked out how to prevent the risk.


When we are filming we will use this assessment to make sure that we are safe from any potential risks.




1). What is the risk?
Bad weather such as rain/snow, this can cause damage to the equipment.

What is at risk?
Equipment (camera, tape)

What can be done to prevent this risk?
Keep the equipment in its protective cases at all times, when this equipment is not in use. Avoid filming in adverse weather conditions unless filming at that point of time is completely necessary

2). What is the risk?
Equipment being stolen – valuable school equipment being stolen by people hanging around the area, and also travelling to filming location.

What is at risk?
Equipment and crew

What can be done to prevent this risk?
Keep equipment on person at all times, do not leave the equipment unattended, make sure that each member of the crew has a mobile phone on their person at all times.

3). What is the risk?
Equipment being broken, for instance being dropped when filming the sequence

What is at risk?
Equipment

What can be done to prevent this risk?
Keep the camera screwed tight to the tri-pod when in use; keep the tripod in the upright position, so that the camera is not able to fall off. When the camera is not in use keep in the protective bag, and bag to be worn on crew members shoulder.

4). What is the risk?
Harm to us, rocky, unstable and muddy setting and landscape on journey to setting, simple trip can seriously injure both the crew and damage equipment

What is at risk?
Crew

What can be done to prevent this risk?
The crew must be careful when walking to and from filming location, make sure that we film on stable land, and make sure that rocks, unstable areas are avoided as much as possible.

5). What is the risk?
Equipment being lost, for instance dropping the tape on the floor when travelling to and from location, this could result in a loss of all our filming

What is at risk?
Equipment

What can be done to prevent this risk?
Make a checklist for every piece of equipment that is in use, for every time we use that certain piece of equipment. A new checklist to be made for every filming session. Double check this checklist to make sure absolutely every piece of equipment is present before leaving location.

Storyboard

This is our finished storyboard. As can be seen, we have drawn 15 shots that roughly show what we want to be in the final piece. There will be more shots than this and we will take them once we see what needs adding. We used the storyboard to roughly outline what each shot will be, when filming we will record using multiple techniques on each shot, and we will add close ups and other camera styles once we edit.

Shot 1: Camera is behind a fence looking at a path. Character walks past.

Shot 2: Camera is on the path watching the character walk away.

Shot 3: Camera is on a raised area looking down at the character walk over to and sit on a bench.

Shot 4: Camera is on a raised area looking down at the character on the bench. Character stands and walks out of shot.

Shot 5, 7, 9: Camera is at one end of a long path and the character at the other. Character walks towards the camera.

Shot 6: Insert shot of a doorway/opening to building.

Shot 8: Insert shot of a room. Camera pans.

Shot 10: Character walking along a path, starts running as sirens are heard in the background. Camera tracks character.

Shot 11: Character runs around a corner and past the camera.

Shot 12: Character runs half way down a path and bends over to catch his breath. Camera zooms in slightly.

Shot 13: Character walks along a pavement past houses. Camera pans with him.

Shot 14: Camera across a road facing a house. Character walks up to the house and enters.

Shot 15: Inside the house, mess everywhere, camera pans.

Questionnaire

To add to our own ideas from our mind map, we created a questionnaire to get information from other people. The following questions were asked to 8 people, both male and female and with a variety of ages.
The (x) indicates the number of votes per question choice.

1). What do you think the best setting to the opening of a thriller movie?
A). City Centre (2)
B). Woodland (4)
C). Lakeside (2)

2). What time of day do you think is best for a thriller to be filmed?
A). Early Morning 7-11 AM (3)
B). Midday 12-1PM (0)
C). Late afternoon 4-9PM (2)
D). Late Night 10-12PM (3)

3). How many people should be in the opening to a thriller?
A). One (5)
B). Two (3)
C). Three Plus (0)

4). What do you think that character should be?
A). Antagonist (3)
B). Protagonist (5)
5). What should happen in the opening to a thriller?
A). Murder (1)
B). Stalking (2)
C). Mysterious (5)

6). Should the opening reveal some of the plot?
A). Yes (5)
B). No (3)

7). Should the opening of a thriller contain speech?
A). A little (3)
B). Yes (2)
C). No (0)
D). some in a sound bridge (3)

From these results, we refined our plans further. We decided to definitely set our piece in a park between 9am and 12pm. We were originally considering there to be 2 characters but with the feedback we have changed it to be only the protagonist. We were also uncertain on whether to use speech or not and from the results have decided that any speech we do have will be used in a sound bridge.

- Lesson 3 23/02/10 -

- Lesson 3 23/02/10 -

During this lesson, Ash and I finished all of our planning work and we uploaded them to our blog. Next lesson we shall plan costumes and when we are going to film.

Mind Maps

We decided to create a mind map so that we could easily note down our ideas for the piece. Using A3 paper, Ashley and I wrote possible ideas for our thriller opening in categories of:


- Lighting
- Setting
- Camera
- Editing
- Characters
- Sound

On the mind map we noted a few ideas under each category that stood out in our minds. We then described our ideas in more detail using another mind map.

- Lighting
We wanted the video to be during the morning or mid afternoon as it would create a good amount of natural light as well as making the locations look bright while casting shadows as well.

- Setting
We wanted there to be raised levels so that we could have high and low angle shots to create some variety in the video. We also wanted to use raised areas as it would give the impression that the on screen character is being followed by somebody and would create a bit of suspense.
We wanted there to be fences and thick trees and bushes around the paths that were being filmed as it would give the impression that the character is trapped and would add to the suspense. We would also film through the fence in parts to further emphasise the idea that the character is trapped.

- Camera
We wanted to use high and low angle shots to give the video some variety, and to make it seem as though the character is being followed.
We also wanted to use pans and tracking shots so that more of the location would be seen in each shot, allowing the audience to see how boxed in the character is which would add to the sense that the character is trapped.

- Editing
We wanted to use eye line matches to show the audience what can be seen by the character.
We also wanted to use different transitions so that we can add suspense to the video using fades and dissolves, and it would also affect the pace of the film as a long take with a long fade will seem drawn out.

- Characters
We wanted the character to be shifty and sinister looking so that it was obvious he was the antagonist. Because of this we decided that dark clothing would be worn and he would be looking around as though looking for something.

- Sound
We wanted the sound to add suspense to the video. We decided that there would be quiet and sinister music playing in the background and it would gradually get faster and louder to create more suspense as though something is about to happen.
We wanted to use ambient sound to show that the character is in a real place. We decided that we would use the sounds of bushes moving and birds squawking to make the location seem more peaceful, and hopefully with the music mixed in, it will seem quite sinister and will add suspense.

Finishing Storyboard

Today I finished the last 6 shots for our storyboard. It now has a total of 15 shots and descriptions and shows what transitions will be used to move to the next shot. During our filiming process we will add more shots as we see fit to extend the length of our final piece.

With our plannin and research work now finished we have decided what we are going to create.
Our film will be:
One character
Limited talking
During the day 10am-4pm
Set in a forest/park/town

Photos

Today Ash and I went out to possible locations and photographed them for future reference.

Possible actor choices. We are not sure who we will choose to be in our final piece, but it would most likely be Adam Turner, the choice at the top.

Location to shoot our first shot from as it has the fence and bushes needed with a path on the other side.

Location to shoot the second shot from as it provides a path that is covered by trees and bushes on either side. We can also use it as it is a long path and we need the shot to be a long take of the character walking along it.

This is the location that we will the character sat on a bench as it is on a slight rise that looks down at the bench on a path. It is perfect as the path stretches out both ways so we can film all of the shots we wanted in the one place.

This is the location for the long take of the character walking. During this shot there will be 3 insert shots.

These are the 2 possible locations for the first insert shot. We have yet to decide which to use, as it will be based on the weather conditions at the time of filming. 

 This is the second and third insert shot location.

Further Researching

Examples
These are just a few of the many thrillers that have been released in the past couple of years.
The Dark Knight
Smokin’ Aces
No Country for Old Men
Hitman
The Bourne Trilogy
Snakes on a Plane
Casino Royale
Assault on Precinct 13
Law Abiding Citizen
(Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_thriller_films:_2000s)

Typically, a thriller provides “excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension”.
Usually, the plot involves “characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces”. A lot of thrillers are hybrids, mixing 2 genres together. Examples of these are suspense-thrillers, action or adventure thrillers, sci-fi thrillers and more.
(Source - http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html)

Some of the best thrillers ever created were by Alfred Hitchcock. He started in the 1920s and created films well into the 1960s. His films have set the bar for all thrillers and show how they should be done to maximize the enjoyment of the audience.

- Lesson 2 11/02/10 -

- Lesson 2 11/02/10 -
During this lesson, Ashley and I carried on our work with the storyboard. We completed 9 shots for it including descriptions of what the shot will be as well as transitions and camera angles.

We also completed a risk assessment to work out what could be dangers when we are filming the final piece.

We finished the questionnaire for homework and using the results have slightly changed our plans for the film. People asked, didn't want there to be much speech and most of them wanted to see the antagonist in the video. They also wanted it to be set during the afternoon or during night, but unfortunately we will not be able to film at night due to the lighting requirements.

Over the holidays Ashley and I will go to the places we plan on filming and take photos, and we will finish the storyboard. I will also research further into thriller films, such as genre conventions and what makes a good thriller.

Thriller Openings Research

I researched two thriller openings to find out what they are like and what is usually included in them so that I have some ideas to use in my video. The thrillers I watched were Smokin’ Aces and The Dark Knight.

Smokin’ Aces

Mise en Scene:
The scene starts outside in a street at night and it is dark with little visible lighting. There are a few cars and a large van parked in the street with buildings lining the pavement.

Next we see inside of what is assumed to be the van, with one character sat facing towards the camera and another just off screen. In the background are computers and screens that seem complicated and suggest that the characters are spying or watching someone, and are members of law enforcement. There are food wrappers and drink containers scattered around the place which makes it seem messy, yet more realistic as it shows that the characters have been eating.

Next is a shot from outside the van looking through trees into a house. This adds to the impression that someone is being watched. The house is large, perhaps a mansion and is full of chandeliers and protected by wrought iron gates. This insinuates that the place is owned by someone rich.

Sound:
During the opening sequence, there is a lot of talking between the two characters. They insult each other jokingly and talk about seemingly random things, but once the man in the house uses a phone they go silent, as well as telling anyone who is on their walkie-talkie frequency to be quite. We then hear a phone conversation from the man in the house.

During the sequence, there is some diegetic sound like the crunching of wrappers and the sounds of machines and movement when the camera is in the van.

The final piece of sound is a small conversation between the two characters in the van who realise that a man is being targeted by bounty hunters. As they realise this a small amount of background music starts to fade in which adds to the tension and drama.

Editing:
The editing starts off slowly, with extremely long takes before a cut. As the sequence goes on, more and more cuts are used. This makes the beginning look boring as though nothing is happening, but it gradually changes into something exciting as the characters realise what is happening. Straight cuts are used to make it simple and to the point.

The beginning of the sequence starts with a black screen with small white writing at the bottom, giving a rough overview of what the film will be about.

Camera:
The scene starts with a tracking shot of the road, with the camera moving from right to left slowly. This makes the scene seem quite spooky and is as though something is happening that needs to be kept quiet. There are then a mixture of zooms and close ups used to add some drama to the scene once the characters realise what is happening.

The Dark Knight

Mise en Scene:
The opening sequence starts by showing a huge city with lots of sky scrapers. We then see a window blown out of one of the skyscrapers and a zip line goes across to a lower down roof of another skyscraper. In the next shot we see the city at ground level with cars going past on the roads and people walking past. The final location is inside a bank, which contains some citizens and computers in a huge room, with a vault at the back that contains lots of money. This arouses the audience suspicions as they wonder why the bank is being attacked by a bunch of clowns, and makes them want to watch to find out more.

Sound:
The sound used is all diegetic, and includes gun shots and footsteps that echo when the characters are in the bank. The voices of the clowns are slightly muffled, as would be expected as they are wearing masks, while the voices of the people in the bank are panicked and clear. This creates a contrast between the two and makes the audience wonder who the clowns are.

Editing:
The editing used is all straight cuts between each shot, with gunshot flashes added in to add effects. This makes the action seem faster and creates more drama and adds to the audience wanting to keep watching.

Camera:
The camera techniques used vary in the sequences. It starts with a high angle shot showing the huge city and they goes into a tracking shot that follows the two clowns go along the zip line. We then see a close up when on the streets and then once in the bank a variety of zooms, pans and close ups are used to show what the characters are doing.

Starting the Thriller - Lesson 1 09/02/10 -

- Lesson 1 09/02/10 -
In this lesson we started working on our ideas for our main task: creating the opening sequence for a thriller.

To start off with, our teacher showed us some examples of previous students work, showing us what was good and what was bad so that we could take ideas on what and what not to do in our own pieces.

We then got into groups and Ashley Grantham and I decided to go as a pair as it would allow us to keep core ideas of ours as their would only be two of us making the decisions, whereas had we chose a bigger group then our personal ideas may have been diluted by the amount of opinions present.

Our first task for creating our thriller began by creating a mind map of our ideas that we could use to create our storyboard. We mapped out our ideas on what we wanted, with characters, setting, time of day and props, as well as what we roughly wanted to show. Unfortunately we didn't have time to finish the storyboard and so we shall carry on making it next lesson. For homework we will create a questionnaire and get 7 people to answer it and use the results to further develop our ideas on what to make as our final piece. For personal research I will look at 2 thriller film openings and analyse them on Mise en Scene, Camera work, Sound and Editing.

Finishing Touches

- Lesson 5 02/02/10 -

In this lesson, my group and I finished the editing that was still needed. We then realised that some of the sounds were out of place on the video and so Henna and I went into the corridor while Robert finished adding transitions to the clips. We recorded the sound of her stamping to put over the clip of Robert walking, and took it back to the computer but it hadn't recorded properly and so we had to go out and redo it. This time it worked and we then added the sounds to the video. Finally we created a title section and added our names so that the exam board would know who were in the video and then we exported it into a format that could be used on DVDs and a format that could be uploaded to YouTube. The video was then uploaded onto YouTube so that we would be able to get the embed code that would allow us to use it on our blog, as seen below.

For the end of the lesson I started looking at thriller film openings to get a feel for what they were like.

The above video is our finished Preliminary Task piece. I think that it came out well, apart from the bad lighting in the shots taken over my shoulder. I like the use of camera angles that we used and I think the cuts were in the right places, but I think we used too many transitions (fade, wipe) that makes the video look worse than if we had used straight cuts. We know how to rectify our mistakes for the main task so that it will look as good as possible.

Editing

- Lesson 4 28/01/10 -
In this lesson, my group and I started editing our film to make it look better. We took all of the pieces off the video tape and captured it using Adobe Premier Pro so that we could then edit it. We cut the clips where we needed them so that bad parts aren't on the final film and so that the transitions can be made easily. We spent some time looking at the effects that we could add and we now know what we want to do with the final parts of editing we need to do. We used a variety of cuts to create a tense atmosphere in out piece, using fades and wipes to good effect as Robert and I spoke, and as he walked.

One problem that we encountered was that two of the clips have drastically different lighting compared to the rest of the clips and so looks out of place when the video is played. We tried using different lighting on each clip using effects from Adobe Premier Pro, but in the end they made it look more out of place and so we stuck with a simple spotlight to add a bit of detail to previously blank silhouettes.

Next lesson we shall finish editing and then record some ambient sound and footsteps to make the silent clips busier. We may also re-film the parts with bad lighting.

Filming

- Lesson 3 26/01/10 -

During this lesson, my group and I filmed all of our preliminary task work. We started out by collecting a camera, tripod and tape and then set it up in the L shape corridor outside of the class room so that we could video Robert walk down the corridor. The camera was set up in the door way that was in the corner of the L so that we could see Robert walk towards us and then pan with him as he walked around the corner. After the initial problem of getting the pan smooth, we moved onto the next shot. We then filmed Robert opening a door which went smoothly and then filmed the rest of our video in a dark class room. We used an artificial light source to cast shadows across the characters faces, but we encountered some problems due to it. In some clips the characters in the room are well lit, yet in others they are almost entirely silhouettes. This was because of the location of the artificial light source and so we know where we went wrong with the positioning of it as it didn't cast light on anything facing away from it.

We used the following camera techniques in the video: pan, close-up, two shot, shot reverse shot and over the shoulder shot.

Next lesson we shall start our editing and possibly re-film any bad parts from the video.

Storyboard and Camera Use

 - Lesson 2 21/01/10 -

During this lesson, my group and I created our storyboard so that we knew what we wanted to film, and decided on what camera angles we want to use for each part of our video. On the storyboard we drew a picture of what the shot would look like, and wrote what would happen in each shot. We also decided how many shots there would be and we finalised the dialogue that would be said at the end of the video. We then took photos of the storyboard we had made and uploaded them onto the computer.

Part way through the lesson we got a camera to learn how to use it properly. We discovered how to remove the tapes, insert tapes and how to use each of the buttons to zoom in and out and to view what had been recorded.

Next lesson we shall start our recording as we now know what we want to film.

These are photos of our storyboard, showing the diagram of what will happen in each shot with a description stating the camera angles that will be used.

Storyboard and Preliminary Task

- Lesson 1 19/01/10 -

The very start of the lesson was made up by the creation of this blog as a way to track and record what I and my group are doing over the course of this task.

In this lesson we were introduced into the course, and started with our preliminary task. We were informed on how to correctly use the video camera, and told techniques like panning, rule of thirds and the 180 degree rule. We were also told how to change the lighting for indoors and outdoors to make sure that the colours and darkness are ok. We then started by getting into groups, with me were Henna and Robert. We created a spider diagram of our ideas, showing what we wanted to do with our video. We noted down the speech that would be done between the characters, and ideas for a location, props and costume. We also wrote down a couple of camera angles that we wanted to use, and wrote down the 180 degree rule to make sure we didn't make mistakes. We were happy with our rough ideas and started to work on our storyboard, but didn't have time to make any progress and instead finished the lesson with a blank sheet.

This is our spider diagram, which shows all of our ideas for the task. When we made the diagram, we were considering the location, costume, props, camera shots, characters and what would be said in the piece.